Catching Up and Diving Back In

[estherchaya]

I haven't posted to Live Journal since June of 2011 - when we lost Julian all together and it looked like we would never see him again.  I'd like to get back to posting, and I've tried several times, but after such a long lapse it always feels like there's too much to catch up on.  So I'm just going to dive right back in with some salient points.

Comments

[magid]

Of course Tobie's a 4.5-year-old: she's got the polka-dotted dress to prove it :-).

I'm glad everyone else's health is good, and hope that some doctor out there will figure out how to help you back to a more normal life. (You can live without a stomach?! I never knew that.)

And I hope that Seth finds permanent work near home soon after his CA stint ends.

[estherchaya]

Good point on the polka dotted dress. The best part is, in two years, she'll have two more polka dotted dresses! :)

Yep, you can live without a stomach. Admittedly, you have to make severe dietary changes if you have a total gastrectomy. Nearly everyone who has a gastrectomy becomes totally lactose intolerant. And they can frequently get what's called "dumping syndrome" (rapid heart rate, nausea, abdominal pain, dizziness, shaking, low blood sugar, etc. after eating because food moves too rapidly into the small intestine). Also, you typically can't process sugar the same way anymore, and highly fibrous foods become no-no's. But since I'm currently restricted to pretty much no food at all right now, that would all still be a big improvement over nothing. It's still a commitment I'm not willing to make until I've exhausted all other options.

[cahwyguy]

Sounds very similar to what one deals with after a gastric bypass (the good ones, the Roux types). My wife had one about a year and a half ago.

[estherchaya]

Yes, very similar, but more extreme in the case of a total gastrectomy, because in that case there's NO portion of the stomach left. I didn't realize your wife had gastric bypass. How's it working out for her?

[cahwyguy]

Very good. Do you want me to have her call you so you can share experiences? I think I still have your numbers. If so, let me know when would be good.

[estherchaya]

Maybe. Not yet. I'm trying to avoid a gastrectomy if possible... It seems drastic and extreme for a 36 year old. RNY bypass has much less success for gastroparesis than gastrectomy. Regardless, I want to exhaust other options first. Sigh.